Barnsley: Hill has sympathy for Berg but not Rovers

KEITH Hill has plenty of sympathy for former Blackburn boss Henning Berg, but he has stressed his Barnsley side won’t be doing Rovers any favours when the two sides clash at Oakwell this afternoon.

Norwegian Berg was relieved of his duties on Thursday after just 57 days in charge of the Championship club who, under his guidance, have slumped to 17th in the table having won just one of their last ten matches.

And Hill knows there is no better time to strike as he tries to halt his own side’s plummet to second from bottom in the table. Rovers have also lost five of their last six outings, form which ultimately cost ex-player Berg his job.

“57 days in charge of any Championship is not long enough to do anything really,” said Hill. “It’s far too short at a time to change things, but unfortunately that’s the nature of football these days.

“The situation at Blackburn has never been resolved ever since they got relegated.

“Steve Kean had been doing a good job until he got the sack and now Henning Berg has gone – and he’s not been there long at all.

“If you’re not given the opportunity to manage for any length of time then it’s going to be really tough regardless of whoever takes over.”

A battling 2-1 away victory over Millwall gave Hill, Reds’ players and the club’s supporters some welcome Christmas cheer, but a 2-1 Boxing Day home defeat to Birmingham City saw the club slip to their lowest standing of the season.

And Hill knows is struggling side have got to get some points on the board, starting with a much-needed victory at home to Rovers.

“We’ve got to win this game on Saturday,” stressed Hill. “We need results because performances aren’t going to keep us up.

“Some of our performances have been very good and the players are giving me everything, but a lot of our results have been marginal.

“That’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes, but it’s my responsibility for our results. The players know they have to take responsibility for where we finish this season, but I’m happy to keep taking the bullets.”